Local Eats

Introduction

A list of regular eating places, places to try, higher end places and places to shop, many nearby our house in South Berkeley and the Ashby and other BART stations. This is a mix of favorites from Jen, Malcolm, and their friends.

Map of Standby Restaurants

Click markers for restaurant names. Maps are based on Google Maps, so normal controls apply. {{#display_map: 37° 51' 10.20" N, 122° 15' 57.17" W~Los Cilantros; 37° 52' 19.50" N, 122° 16' 1.08" W~Tandoori Nite; 37° 47' 15.71" N, 122° 15' 14.27" W~Brotzeit Lokal; 37° 53' 27.39" N, 122° 17' 28.38" W~China Village; 37.8714033,-122.2775917~Townie; 37.8717531,-122.2718951~Platano; 37.8716543,-122.2724259~Cafe Tibet; 37.8782439,-122.3034187~Picante; 37.848794,-122.2743875~Easy Creole; 37.8475959,-122.2745122~Sweet Adeline Bakeshop; 37.858681,-122.2701447~Crixa Cakes; 37.7987953,-122.2740491~Gourmet Delight Seafood; 37.8374452,-122.3169958~Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant; 37.8000173,-122.2742962~Tao Yuen Pastry; 37.7982463,-122.2716072~Phnom Penh House; 37.7997177,-122.2742083~Sun Hing Meat Market; 37.799739,-122.2741526~Sun Sing Pastry; 37.8006777,-122.2720436~Shandong Restaurant; 37.8507973,-122.2629109~Cafe Colucci; 37.8754913,-122.2626266~La Val's Pizza; 37.903775,-122.2801098~Inn Kensington; 37.8367374,-122.2663897~Sacred Wheel; 37.7572986,-122.2538819~Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails; 37.7628022,-122.2465001~Scolari's Good Eats; 37.8717445,-122.2722282~Jayakarta Restaurant; 37.7652622,-122.2490077~La Penca Azul; 37.8087315,-122.2580574~Enssaro Ethiopian; 37.7981278,-122.246863~Champa Garden; 37.8353421,-122.2652895~Bowl'd; 37.8347743,-122.2654737~Burma Superstar; 37.8516619,-122.292037~Spoon; 37.8583484,-122.2555837~Elmwood Cafe; 37.8547083,-122.2684295~Smokey J's; 37.8768214,-122.2713528~Cha-Ya; 37.8021699,-122.2640951~Lake Chalet; 37.8270215,-122.2591712~Monster Pho; 37.8272977,-122.2592897~Ohgane; 37.8209359,-122.262436~Judoku Sushi; 37.8265901,-122.2551732~Geta; 37.8135913,-122.248748~Boot and Shoe Service; 37.8457752,-122.2682646~Brick Pig's House; 37.7950672,-122.2681594~Nido; 37.8653063,-122.2612773~Joshu-Ya; 37.8482619,-122.2550652~Noodle Theory; 37.8175059,-122.2919499~FuseBox; 37.8464084,-122.2538985~Ramen Shop; 37.8361797,-122.265059~Cholita Linda; 37.8366248,-122.2664468~Abesha; 37.8320279,-122.2662465~Kansai; 37.8365037,-122.2644527~Dona Tomas; 37.8365993,-122.2644022~Pizzaiolo; 37.8369424,-122.2654576~Genova; 37.836024,-122.2641765~Curbside Creamery; 37.8277599,-122.2667308~Beauty's Bagels; 37.7609616,-122.4240714~Craftsman and Wolves; 37.7876063,-122.4533851~b. patisserie; 37.8727453,-122.2709974~Bangkok Noodles & Thai BBQ|width=800|height=800|service=googlemaps|layers=traffic}}

Standbys

Places Jen, Malcolm and friends visit regularly and are moderately priced.

BARTable/Walkable assumes no more than 1 mile walk from home or BART station. Many places not BARTable are still accessible by Public Transit, just not without transfers or buses. A Clipper Card can help immensely, since it's a universal payment method for most area transit agencies.

Delivery is also often negotiable. Services like Caviar can deliver from some restaurants that do not otherwise do delivery.

Name	Type	Specialties	Area	Yelp	Google Maps	BARTable/ Walkable	BART Station	Distance from BART	Price Est. (per person)	Phone	Delivery to Prince St.	Cash Only?
Tandoori Nite	Indian, Delivery		Berkeley/University Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 848-7252	Yes	No
Brotzeit Lokal	Biergarten, Sausages		Oakland/Embarcadero	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 645-1905	No	No
China Village	Szechuan, Dim Sum	Spicy Stuff	Albany/Solano	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 525-2285	No	No
Townie	Restaurant, Bar		Berkeley/University Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$20	(510) 356-4903	No	No
Platano	Salvadorian		Berkeley/University Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 704-0325	?	No
Cafe Tibet	Himalayan, Nepalese, Vegetarian	Slow but good!	Berkeley/University Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.3 mi / 0.5 km	$20	(510) 548-5553	Yes	No
Picante	Mexican, Fast		Berkeley/6th Street	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 525-3121	No	No
Easy Creole	Cajun/Creole		South Berkeley/Adeline	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$10	(510) 858-5063	?	No
Sweet Adeline Bakeshop	Bakery, Coffee, Tea, Desserts	Cheddar Scallion Scone	South Berkeley/Adeline	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$10	(510) 985-7381	No	No
Crixa Cakes	Bakery, Coffee, Tea, Desserts (Hungarian, Russian)	The Last Romantic (rich hot chocolate)	South Berkeley/Adeline	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$20	(510) 548-0421	No	No
Gourmet Delight Seafood	Dim Sum		Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	12th Street	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$10	(510) 832-7661 (Chinese)	No	No
Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant	Fancier Dim Sum	Shanghai Dumplings	Emeryville/Powell Street Marina	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 655-3388 (Chinese/English)	No	No
Tao Yuen Pastry	Dim Sum Bakery (Fancier than Sun Sing Bakery)		Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	12 Street	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$10	(510) 834-9200 (Chinese)	No	No
Phnom Penh House	Cambodian	Prahok Katis (Seasoned ground meat - SPICY - with vegetable crudite)	Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	Lake Merrit	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 893-3825	?	No
Sun Hing Meat Market	Chinese Meats and Butchery	Chinese Bacon (steam and saute to cook)	Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	12th Street	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$10	(510) 836-1819	No	YES
Sun Sing Pastry Dim Sum	Dim Sum	Egg Custard Tarts (short crust)	Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	12th Street	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$10	(510) 763-9228	No	YES
Shandong Restaurant	Chinese	Handmade Noodles	Oakland/Chinatown	Yelp	Google	Yes	12th Street	0.3 mi / 0.5 km	$20	(510) 839-2299	?	No
Cafe Colucci	Ethiopian		South Berkeley/Telegraph	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$20	(510) 601-7999	?	No
La Val's Pizza	Pizza, Pasta, Calzone, Delivery	Pizza	UC Campus/Euclid	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.7 mi / 1.1 km	$10	(510) 540-9333	Yes	No
Inn Kensington	Breakfast, Brunch, California Modern		Kensington/Arlington Blvd	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 527-5919	No	No
Sacred Wheel	Cheese Shop, Sandwiches, Soups	Tomato soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich	Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.7 mi / 1.1 km	$10	(510) 653-1353	No	No
Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails	Italian, Bars		Alameda	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 521-1152	No	No
Scolari's Good Eats	Burgers, Sandwiches, Salads		Alameda	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 521-2400	No	No
Jayakarta Restaurant	Indonesian, Singaporean		Berkeley/University Ave.	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 841-0884	?	No
La Penca Azul	Mexican		Alameda/Park St.	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 769-9110	No	No
Enssaro Ethiopian	Ethiopian		Oakland/Grand Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	19th Street	0.9 mi / 1.4 km	$20	(510) 238-9050	?	No
Champa Garden	Asian Fusion, Laotian		Oakland/8th Ave	Yelp	Google	No			$10	(510) 238-8819	No	No
Bowl'd	Korean, Barbecue		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$20	(510) 654-2000	No	No
Burma Superstar	Burmese	Samosa Soup	Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$20	(510) 652-2900	?	No
Spoon	Korean		South Berkeley/Ashby Ave	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 704-9555	?	No
Elmwood Cafe	Coffee, Tea, Breakfast, Lunch		Elmwood/College Ave	Yelp	Google	No, but close!			$20	(510) 843-1300	No	No
Smokey J's	Barbeque (Southern)		South Berkley/Shattuch Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 529-4511	No	YES
Cha-Ya	Sushi, Vegetarian	Vegetarian Sushi	Berkeley/Gourmet Ghetto	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$20	(510) 981-1213	No	YES
Lake Chalet	Seafood, California Modern	Good view	Oakland/Lake Merritt	Yelp	Google	Yes	Lake Merritt	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$20	(510) 208-5253	No	No
Monster Pho	Vietnamese, Pho		Oakland/Broadway	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$20	(510) 788-4459	No	No
Ohgane Korean Restaurant	Korean, Barbeque		Oakland/Broadway	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$20	(510) 594-8300	?	No
Judoku Sushi	Sushi Bar, Japanese		Oakland/Broadway	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.8 mi / 1.3 km	$20	(510) 645-1912	No	No
Geta	Sushi Bar, Japanese		Oakland/Piedmont Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.9 mi / 1.4 km	$10	(510) 653-4643	No	No
Boot and Shoe Service	Italian, Pizza		Oakland/Grand Lake	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 763-2668	No	No
Brick Pig's House	Barbeque (Memphis)		North Oakland/Shattuck Ave.	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$20	(510) 923-1789	No	No
Nido	Mexican, Farm to Table		Oakland/Laney College	Yelp	Google	Yes	Lake Merritt	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$20	(510) 444-6436	No	No
Joshu-Ya Brasserie	Sushi, Seafood, Tapas		UC Campus/Telegraph	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.8 mi / 1.3 km	$20	(510) 848-5260	No	No
Noodle Theory	Asian Fusion, Ramen		Oakland/Rockridge	Yelp	Google	Yes	Rockridge	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$20	(510) 595-6988	No	No
FuseBox	Korean, Asian Fusion	Korean Fried Chicken	Oakland/Grand Ave.	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 444-3100	No	No
Ramen Shop	Asian Fusion, Ramen	Anything with Smoked Eggs	Oakland/Rockridge	Yelp	Google	Yes	Rockridge	0.1 mi / 0.2 km	$20	(510) 788-6370	No	No
Cholita Linda	Latin American, Mexican, Food Stand		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$10	(510) 594-7610	No	No
Abesha Ethiopian	Ethiopian		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 653-8383	No	No
Kansai	Japanese, Sushi	Late night sushi	Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 658-7273	No	No
Dona Tomas	Mexican		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 450-0522	No	No
Pizzaiolo	Italian, Pizza		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 652-4888	No	No
Genova Delicatessen	Italian, Deli, Sandiwches	Any Specialty Sandwich!	Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(510) 652-7401	No	No
Curbside Creamery	Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	No			$10	(510) 250-9804	No	No
Beauty's Bagel Shop	Wood-fired Bagels		Oakland/Temescal	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$10	(510) 788-6098	No	No
Craftsman and Wolves	Bakery, Cafe, Breakfast		San Francisco/Delores Parrk	Yelp	Google	Yes	16th Street	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$20	(415) 913-7713	No	No
b. patisserie	Fine Pastries, Bakery, Cafe		San Francisco/Lower Pacific Heights	Yelp	Google	No			$20	(415) 440-1700	No	No
Bangkok Noodles & Thai BBQ	Thai	Sliced Roast Duck Noodle Soup	Berkeley/University Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$10	(510) 549-1958	?	No

Map of Mid Price/Higher Quality Locations

Click markers for restaurant names. Maps are based on Google Maps, so normal controls apply. {{#display_map: 37.8528322,-122.2681144~Los Cilantros; 37.8795896,-122.2711532~Chez Panisse Cafe; 37.8203279,-122.2909855~Brown Sugar Kitchen; 37.870227,-122.3034387~Cafe Rouge; 37.8482877,-122.2679371~Nick's Pizza; 37.870291,-122.2692997~Ippuku; 37.8662056,-122.2694372~La Note; 37.8670873,-122.2695889~Venus; 37.8715661,-122.2708092~Comal; 37.8392378,-122.291825~Honor Bar; 37.8081575,-122.2717704~Flora; 37.8593364,-122.2688624~Kirala; 37.7750925,-122.4451813~Nopalito; 37.7616119,-122.4281464~Namu Gaji; 37.7640924,-122.4347813~Starbelly|width=800|height=800|service=googlemaps|layers=traffic}}

Mid Price/Higher Quality

This section showcases restaurants that might be a little more expensive, but showcase higher quality ingredients and, sometimes, the California Farm to Table foodways movement.

Name	Type	Specialties	Area	Yelp	Google Maps	BARTable/ Walkable	BART Station	Distance from BART	Price Est. (per person)	Phone	Delivery to Prince St?	Cash Only?
Los Cilantros	Mexican, Farm-to-Table	Tortilla Soup	South Berkeley/Shattuck Ave	Yelp	Google	Yes	Prince St.	0.1 mi / 0.15 km	$30	(510) 230-7350	No	No
Chez Panisse Cafe	California Modern, French, Farm-to-Table		Berkeley/Gourmet Ghetto	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.7 mi / 1.1 km	$45	(510) 548-5525	No	No
Brown Sugar Kitchen	Soul Food, Breakfast, Brunch	Chicken and Waffles	West Oakland	Yelp	Google	No			$30	(510) 839-7685	No	No
Cafe Rouge	California Modern, Meat Shop	Hot Dog, Hamburger, Farm-to-Table	Berkeley/4th Street	Yelp	Google	No			$30	(510) 525-1440	No	No
Nick's Oakland Style Pizza	Pizza, Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee, Tea, Farm-to-Table	Pizza	North Oakland/Shattuck Ave.	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.4 mi / 0.6 km	$30	(510) 658-3903	No	No
Ippuku	Japanese, Robata, Bar, Farm-to-Table	Chicken Ramen (Last Plate)	Berkeley/Downtown	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.1 mi / 0.2 km	$30	(510) 665-1969	No	No
La Note Restaurant Provencal	French, Breakfast, Brunch		Berkeley/Downtown	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.3 mi / 0.5 km	$30	(510) 843-1535	No	No
Venus Restaurant	California Modern, Breakfast, Brunch, Farm-to-Table	Cloud 9 (espresso/chocolate)	Berkeley/Downtown	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.2 mi / 0.3 km	$30	(510) 540-5950	No	No
Comal	Mexican, Farm-to-Table	Meat plates for two, Tequila cocktails	Berkeley/Downtown	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.1 mi / 0.2 km	$30	(510) 926-6300	No	No
Honor Kitchen and Cocktails	California Modern, Cocktails		Emeryville/Powell St.	Yelp	Google	No			$30	(510) 653-8667	No	No
Flora Restaurant and Bar	California Modern, Bar		Oakland/Broadway	Yelp	Google	Yes	19th Street	0.0 mi / 0.0 km	$45	(510) 286-0100	No	No
Kirala	Sushi, Robata, Japanese	Hokkaido Squid Robata	South Berkeley/Shattuck Ave.	Yelp	Google	Yes	(Prince St.)	0.5 mi / 0.8 km	$30	(510) 549-3486	No	No
Nopalito	Farm-to-Table, Mexican		San Francisco/North of Panhandle	Yelp	Google	No			$30	(415) 437-0303	No	No
Namu Gaji	Farm-to-Table, Korean, California Modern		San Francisco/Delores Park	Yelp	Google	Yes	16th Street	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$30	(415) 431-6268	No	No
Starbelly	Farm-to-Table, California Modern	Plate: spaghetti, bacon, jalapeno, tomato sauce	San Francisco/The Castro	Yelp	Google	No			$30	(415) 252-7500	No	No

Map of Expensive/High End Locations

Click markers for restaurant names. Maps are based on Google Maps, so normal controls apply.

{{#display_map: 37.7938419,-122.2764925~Haven; 37.7981085,-122.4055895~Coi; 37.8247399,-122.2571159~Commis; 37.8911331,-122.2885047~Rivoli; 37.8795896,-122.2711532~Chez Panisse; 37.7735531,-122.4244562~Zuni Cafe; 37.7772155,-122.4229765~Nojo; 37.7748936,-122.4396831~Nopa; 38.404427,-122.3671685~French Laundry|width=800|height=800|service=googlemaps|layers=traffic}}

Expensive/High End

These are worth a special trip, but are very expensive!

Name	Type	Area	Restaurant Group	Yelp	Google Maps	BARTable	BART Station	Distance from BART	Price Est. (per person)	Phone	Notes
Haven	Farm-to-Table	Oakland/Jack London Square	Daniel Patterson Group	Yelp	Google	Yes	12th Street	0.9 mi / 1.4 km	$60	(510) 663-4440	One of our favorites. Prix Fixe, good service, good pairings.
Coi	Farm-to-Table, High End	San Franciso/North Beach	Daniel Patterson Group	Yelp	Google	Yes	Embarcadero	0.7 mi / 1.1 km	$270	(415) 393-9000	Expensive but worth it. Prix Fixe, Excellent service. Pairings additional charge. Reservations via OpenTable.com (may have to pre-pay).
Commis	Farm-to-Table, High End	Oakland/Piedmont Ave.	James Syhabout	Yelp	Google	Yes	MacArthur	0.8 mi / 1.3 km	$125	(510) 653-3902	Prix Fixe - 8 course. Excellent service. Pairings $75. Reservations via OpenTable (reserve with credit card).
Rivoli	Farm-to-Table	Albany/Solano Ave.	Wendy Brucker	Yelp	Google	No			$45	(510) 526-2542	No Prix Fixe. Attentive service.
Chez Panisse Restaurant	Farm-to-Table, California Modern	Berkeley/Gourmet Ghetto	Alice Waters	Yelp	Google	Yes	Downtown Berkeley	0.7 mi / 1.1 km	$75 - $125	(510) 548-5525	The restaurant widely credited with starting the California Modern Farm-to-Table cuisine. Alice Waters revolutionized farm-to-table business practices by encouraging local farmers to grow food particularly for her and for Chez Panisse. Also popularized garlic's place in the cuisine. There's a documentary about it (Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers).
Zuni Cafe	Farm-to-Table, California Modern, Raw Oysters	San Francisco/Duboce Triangle	Judy Rodgers	Yelp	Google	Yes	Civic Center/U.N. Plaza	0.6 mi / 1.0 km	$45	(415) 552-2522	Try using MUNI to shorten the walk. Aside from Chez Panisse, Zuni Cafe is very well known and popular example of early California popular cuisine. Aside from oysters, high end service, and fine wines, also known for increasingly popular Roast Chicken menu item.
Nojo	Ramen, Small Bites, Izakaya, Farm-to-Table	San Francisco/Civic Center	AP Company (Japan)	Yelp	Google	Yes	Civic Center/U.N. Plaza	0.5 mi / 1.1 km	?	(415) 896-4587	Newly reopened. Ramen is apparently very good, but no data on prices.
Nopa	Farm-to-Table, Modern European	San Francisco/North of Panhandle	Laurence Jossel	Yelp	Google	No			$60	(415) 864-8643	Delicious food, good menu. High touch, friendly but not premium service. Excellent cocktails. A family favorite. May be able to get there by public transit beyond BART (MUNI buses and streetcars).
The French Laundry	Farm-to-Table, California Modern	Yountville, CA	Thomas Keller	Yelp	Google	No			$310	(707) 944-2380	The gold standard for the California Bay Area in terms of experience, service, and pairings (which may be as expensive as the price of the menu). Reservations are made by purchasing tickets.

There are many more options north of the Bay Area, in Sausalito, Marin, and Napa. Please ask if you're interested in exploring.

To Try

Places Jen and Malcolm plan to/want to try.

• Aria Grill & Cuisine (and Hookah Bar?) (Afghan) - Oakland/14th Street - Yelp - $20 - $60 for 2 people
• Chez Panisse Cafe
• Chez Panisse Restaurant
• Enssaro Ethiopian (Oakland/Grand)
• Champa Garden (Oakland/8th Ave)
• Contigo (SF/Noe Valley)
• Nido (Oakland)

Map of Markets and Farmer's Markets

Click markers for restaurant names. Maps are based on Google Maps, so normal controls apply.

{{#display_map: 37.871483,-122.271631~Berkeley Farmers' Market~Saturday: 10a-3p; 37.847483,-122.2741307~Adeline Farmers' Market~Tuesday: 2p-6:30p; 37.843811,-122.251821~Market Hall~Every day: 9a-8p; 37.7955277,-122.3956398~Ferry Building Marketplace~Every day: 10a-7p; 37.7953792,-122.3958813~Ferry Plaza Farmers Market~Tues/Thurs: 10a-2p, Sat: 8a-2p; 37.8570413,-122.2694045~Berkeley Bowl (Oregon St.)~Every day: 9a-8p; 37.8554296,-122.2624675~Whole Foods~Every day: 8a-10p; 37.8680552,-122.2937192~Country Cheese Coffee Market~Mon-Sat: 9a-7p; 37.8544059,-122.2734525~Ashby Supermarket~Mon-Sat: 8a-10p, Sun: 8a-9p; 37.837734,-122.2647677~Temescal Produce Market~Every day: 9a-9p; 37.881453,-122.2984937~Tokyo Fish Market~Mon-Sat: 9a-6p; 37.8135272,-122.2699715~Koreana Plaza Market~Every day: 7a-10p; 37.8718639,-122.2742367~Bonita Fish Market~Mon-Sat: 10a-7p, Sun: 10a-6p|width=800|height=800|service=googlemaps|layers=traffic}}

Markets and Farmer's Markets

Berkeley Farmers' Market - Center Street and MLK Jr. Way - Saturdays, 10a - 3p

The region's farmers' bounties, both certified organic and conventional. Regulars also include pasta, cheese, fish, ice cream, sometimes oysters, juices, and olive oils. Some prepared food vending as well.

Adeline Farmers' Market - Adeline and 63rd Street - Tuesdays, 2p - 6

30p : Similar stuff to Berkeley Farmers' Market.

Market Hall - Rockridge BART - Every day, 9a - 8p

Upscale, high end market with produce, fish, butcher, bakery, cheese and prepared foods.

Ferry Building Marketplace - Market and Embarcadero - Indoor market

Every day, 10a - 7p : Food specialties and restaurants. Our favorites are Recchuiti Chocolates, Boccalone Meats, Imperial Tea Court, Mijita, and Cowgirl Creamer. Shout outs also to Humphry Slocombe ice cream and Blue Bottle coffee.

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market - Market and Embarcadero - Outdoor market

Tuesday & Thursday, 10a - 2p, Saturday, 8a - 2p : The Saturday market is particularly luxuriant and wraps around the east side of the building to the parking lot int he back. Tuesday and Thursday focuses primarily on the front of the Ferry building and has far fewer stalls and sellers.

Berkeley Bowl - Oregon and Shattuck - Every day, 9a - 8p

The original Berkeley Bowl, smaller than the one in West Berkeley, but produce is plentiful, some of it organic. Bulk foods are good. It's a good, eco-friendly supermarket and grocery with good offerings in cheese and dairy, butcher, fish, prepared food, and, of course, produce. Alice Waters of Chez Panisse used to shop here, among other culinary luminaries.

Whole Foods - Telegraph and Ashby - Every day, 8a - 10p

Whole Foods is a controversial grocery and supermarket (the founder has non-progressive ideas on labor and benefits). Many have chosen to boycott it, but if that doesn't concern you, they stock similar stuff to Berkeley Bowl. A little higher end/more expensive. But quality is also high and it appeals to many customers. Their hours are slightly longer on either end than Berkeley Bowl's.

Country Cheese Coffee Market - San Pablo near University - Monday - Saturday, 9a - 7p

Many fine foods, teas, cheeses, crackers, preserves, meat, etc. Some difficult to find items. A charming shop and a local chain, with locations also in Kensington and North Berkeley.

Ashby Supermarket - Ashby and MLK Jr. Way - Monday - Saturday, 8a - 10p, Sunday, 8a - 9p

One of our local corner stores, a short walk. There's a soda geek who stocks various hard to find sodas in the back. Tony, our neighbor across the street prefers their sandwiches. They have a light and essential stock of household, pantry and snack items, including some ice creams.

Temescal Produce Market - 51st and Telegraph - Every day, 9a - 9p

Another local market, small but reasonably walkable. A good variety of stock.

Tokyo Fish Market - San Pablo and Gilman - Monday - Saturday, 9a - 6p

Not really walkable, but stocks Japanese essentials like Furikake, various fresh noodles, sashimi cuts of fish, various specialty snacks and frozen foods, and sake and sochu.

Koreana Plaza Market - Telegraph and 24th - Every day, 7a - 10p

For Korean specialties, also nearby The Good Hop, one of our Worth a Special Visit entries.

Bonita Fish Market - University and Bonita - Monday - Saturday, 10a - 7p, Sunday, 10a - 6p

Fresh, yummy seafoods. We've gotten crab and clams there, both quite worth it.

Map of Special Trips

Click markers for restaurant names. Maps are based on Google Maps, so normal controls apply.

Map pending.

Worth A Special Trip

Bakery

Tartine (Bakery)

Known for extremely well researched artisinal sourdough bread as well as other baked goods. A real crowd-pleaser. You will always encounter a queue. Get there at 4:30 for FRESH bread. Everything is delicious!

Butcher

Belcampo (Butcher)

A specialty butcher. They raise their own animals from heritage breeds on organic feed, using very skilled, high-touch agricultural methods. Meat is ridiculously expensive and ridiculously good. Some locations are just butchers. Others are also restaurants. Sometimes there are service issues - the focus for the whole company is on the meat.

Local Butcher (Butcher)

Similar ethics to Belcampo, but they don't raise their own slaughter animals. Can source all kinds of unpopular cuts, organs and other kinds of butchery not popular with mainstream markets. They also sell pet food, bone broths, expensive, local, organic eggs, cured meats, pickles, have a light deli counter, and also sell delicious prepared sandwiches.

Specialties

Gregoire (French Carryout)

One location is in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto neighborhood. High end French carryout food. The kitchen is small and the lines can be long, so be prepared to queue. The Gourmet Ghetto location also has limited seating available, but it's unmanaged, so be prepared to be assertive or to sit somewhere else.

Cheese Board Collective (Pizza, Breads, Cheeses)

In the Gourmet Ghetto, The Cheese Board Collective was recently listed number 2 on Yelp's top 100 places to eat in the US. So go try their pizza!

Bakesale Betty (Fried Chicken Sandwich and spicy cole slaw)

These folks are so popular that the best way to try out their fried chicken sandwich with spicy cole slaw is to walk, drive, bus, or teleport to their location, get in the huge-ass line, and buy a sandwich or two. They are so popular they can't even take same-day phone orders.

Ice Cream

We are ice cream enthusiasts. That's the nice way to put it. But for sure, use this list to tour the various possibilities. Or, you know, as a regular list for places to visit in rotation and enjoy as much as you can.

Bi-Rite Creamery (Ice Creams and Desserts)

Associated with the high-end San Francisco grocery store chain, Bi-Rite, the creamery focuses on ice creams, baked goods, sundaes and ice cream novelties (like ice cream sandwiches, which are ice cream sandwiched by cookies). Flavors use high quality ingredients and are seasonally sourced, so expect to get something delicious!

Mitchell's Ice Cream (Ice Creams and Desserts)

Less high end but still tasty, Mitchell's focuses on tropical flavors like Avocado, Buko, and Lucuma, as well as serving some Filipino desserts like Halo Halo.

Humphry Slocombe (Ice Creams and Dessert)

High end, tasty, innovative flavors. Known for Sundaes served with shrub/vinegar sauces, the Secret Breakfast flavor, and other good recipes. Located both in The Mission (Harrison and 24th) and in the Ferry Building.

Fenton's Creamery and Restaurant (Ice Creams, Breakfast, Lunch, and Cakes)

Fenton's has been featured in some Pixar movies, as well as other films about or involving the Bay Area. It's known for its huge sundaes, late hours, and long lines. Visiting is an experience, but Fenton's is not known for high fashion ice cream.

Ici Ice Cream (Ice Creams)

Close by, and known for high quality, tasty, and uncommon flavors.

Lush Gelato (Ice Cream, Gelato)

Located in San Francisco (Polk), Oakland's Piedmont Ave, and in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto, known for a variety of gelato flavors, many of them using local ingredients.

Smitten (Ice Cream)

Known for using liquid nitrogen to superfreeze the cream or the sorbet mixture. The texture of the ice cream is silky and the texture of the sorbet is fluffy. If you have never had liquid nitrogen ice cream, you might be in for a treat.

Cream (Ice cream sandwiches)

Known for the ice cream sandwiches, made of cookies and ice cream, they also make other stuff. The ice cream is decent and the sandwiches are very tasty. Not a super-premium experience, but if you're doing the ice cream tour, it's worth a visit.

Chocolatier Blue Parlor (Ice creams, sorbets, frozen treats)

This company specializes in high-end, airbrushed shiny filled chocolate candies, but the parlor also carries their high end gelato. It's a favorite for dairy loving locals like us.

Tea & Coffee

• Sightglass Coffee
• Philz
• Imperial Tea Court

Booze (Alcohol) Tourism

• The Good Hop - Beer lovers!
• St George's Distillery Tour

Faction Brewing Tasting Room (Beer)

• Other booze touring

Chocolate

• Recchuiti Chocolates
• Speciality Chocolates place in Gourmet Ghetto

UPick / Farmers Markets / Harvests

• Berry Picking
• Fruit Picking

Day Trips

• Santa Cruz/Monterey
• North Bay
• Napa/Yountville

Feel free to ask if you are interested in special foodie trips!

Quirky, Interesting, Americana, California-Style

Things that normal folks do but that are kind of unique.

• Bowling
  Hurling balls down lanes at pins
  • Albany Bowl (Albany/San Pablo) - Has American bowling lanes, billiards (American tables), arcade games, darts, air hockey, a cafe that serves bar food, pizza and burgers, and a bar.
  • [http://plankoakland.com/ Plank (Jack London Square) - Has a few American bowling lanes, carnival and arcade games, televisions with sports games, and outdoor bowling games (like Bocce).
  • Westing - Bar and indoor Bocce.
  • Oakland Lawn Bowling Club - Bocce.
• Minigolf
  Playing golf on very small courses, with putter clubs only
  • Urban Putt (SF)
  • SubPar (Alameda)
  • Scandia Family Center (Rockville)
• Deluxe Movie Theaters
  With food and booze allowed in the theaters.
  • New Parkway Theater (Oakland)
  • Kabuki Theater (SF)
  • Landmark Shattuck Cinemas (Berkeley)
• Food Destinations
  • In-n-Out Burgers (Alameda/Oakland Airport)
    Not great, but it's an institution, and you could go see what all the fuss is about. They are VERY efficient. In some ways, the drive-thru is a more interesting and authentic experience.
• Transportation Tourism
  Cable cars, ferries, streetcars, bridges, all for the special kind of geek!
  • San Francisco Street Cars
    Street cars run on the SF MUNI's F line
  • San Francisco Cable Cars (Don't get on at Powell)
  • Angel Island (Ferry from Ferry Terminal - SF)
  • Alcatraz (Ferry from Ferry Terminal - SF)
  • Golden Gate Bridge (Walk)
  • Bay Bridge (East side - Walk)
• Parks
  Federal, state, and regional, there's interesting stuff all over!
  • Tilden Regional Park - MANY activities.
  • Gate Park - Encompasses many museums and attractions, including the DeYoung Museum, The California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden, to name a few. Also many regular and special events, and a very nice park to walk through, spanning many SF neighborhoods.
  • Stern Grove - A park in San Francisco, particularly noted, June - August, for a music festival
  • An East Bay hiking guide.
• High Tea
  An American version of Tea, where we pretend we know what we're doing. Usually involves premium teas, various edibles of different qualities, and well-dressed company.
  • A guide.
• Specific parts of town
  A breakdown of interesting parts of town in the SF Bay Area
  • San Francisco:
    • Chinatown
    • Japantown
    • North Beach
    • Richmond District
    • The Mission
    • Noe Valley
    • Hayes Valley
    • The Presidio
  • Oakland:
    • Piedmont Ave
    • The Grand Lake
    • Lake Merritt
    • Chinatown
    • Temescal
    • Jack London Square
    • Rockridge
  • Berkeley:
    • UC Campus
    • Gourmet Ghetto
    • San Pablo
    • Solano (Kensington and Albany)
    • Adeline
    • Telegraph
    • College & Claremont
  • The Bay:
    • Alcatraz
    • Angel Island
  • North Bay:
    • Cavallo Point
    • Sausalito
    • Marin
    • Napa
    • Yountville
  • Other:

To Do

For page restyling and to dos.

• Complete sections by converting them to sortable tabular format and filling all data in